‘I don’t have my “you’re talking shit” face on,’ Henley replied unconvincingly as she watched Copeland stop at the kitchen area where Ramouter was taking his bowl of porridge out of the microwave.
‘Now you’ve got your “why are you talking to my man” face on.’
‘How many faces do I have? Shut up, Stanford.’ Henley was keeping a close eye on Copeland. She felt a sense of unease watching Copeland finally leave but leaving the door open, as though she was making a not-so-subtle point.
‘So, what did you hear?’ Henley asked Stanford.
‘Not much to be honest, but I heard your name mentioned by her and guv said something about decisions.’
‘She wants in,’ Henley concluded.
‘Wants in on the case or all in with the SCU?’ Stanford asked as Ezra bounced into the room with his laptop in one hand and a large purple smoothie in the other. ‘Joining is a big ask but, saying that, look at us. It’s not as if we don’t need the help.’
‘Hmm, I’m not saying that we don’t but let’s not waste our time on something that may never happen.’ Henley balled up her greasy wrapper and threw it into the bin under her desk.
Pellacia came out of his office. ‘Right, team, we’ve got a lot to get through. So, let’s get started.’ He picked up the whiteboard eraser and removed Graham and Tabitha Ashcroft’s names from the home invasion case board.
‘So, it’s confirmed then?’ asked Eastwood as Pellacia wrote the names of Sian Fox-Carnell and the Ashcrofts on the mobile whiteboard. ‘These two cases are linked?’
‘Forensics link them,’ Pellacia answered. ‘The third DNA profile found on Sian Fox-Carnell’s body matches the DNA that was recovered from blood found in the Ashcrofts’ house.’
‘Is there any prior association between the Ashcrofts and Fox-Carnell?’ asked Stanford.
‘No associations,’ he continued. ‘I spent the weekend going through the original Sian Fox-Carnell murder investigation file and I couldn’t find anything to link the two either in terms of evidence, victims or location.’
‘But they do share something in common,’ said Henley as a notification signalled the arrival of the email that she’d been waiting for. ‘Wait. I’ve just received the toxicology report for Fox-Carnell.’
‘What killed her?’ Ramouter asked as Henley left her desk and joined Pellacia at the front, taking over.
‘Fentanyl. It’s a schedule two controlled drug in the UK but that doesn’t mean that it’s not lethal,’ said Henley. ‘Most people who die of a fentanyl overdose have levels that range from 3 to 58 micrograms per litre of blood.’
‘How much did Fox-Carnell have in her blood?’ asked Eastwood.
‘75.3 micrograms,’ Henley replied as Stanford released a low whistle. ‘She also had traces of alcohol and cannabis in her system. The levels are low, which is to be expected considering that she was held captive for two days before she was killed. That’s not to say that she may not have been drinking heavily before she was taken. I could smell the alcohol on her breath when she approached me.’ Henley turned her back and drew a red arrow between Fox-Carnell and Tabitha Ashcroft. ‘So, there are two things they have in common. First, the scalping.’
‘What?’ Ezra asked wide eyed.
‘Turn around,’ Henley instructed, aware that Ezra didn’t have the stomach for the images of a brutal death that she faced daily. Ezra did what he was told and she picked up the photograph of the back of Fox-Carnell’s head and placed it on the board.
‘Christ,’ Pellacia muttered as his hand involuntarily went to the area on his chest where the serial killer, Peter Olivier, had left scars.
‘Fox-Carnell was scalped before she died. Tabitha Ashcroft too,’ said Henley. She placed a second photograph, with two images, on the board. The first image was the left side profile of Tabitha Ashcroft, showing bruising along her jawline and a large cut with a thin segment of skin laying against her scalp like an unopened envelope. The second image was a close up.
Stanford shook his head. ‘How is she?’
‘Understandably a mess. She was admitted because the wound was infected and she was on the verge of developing sepsis,’ said Henley. ‘The only reason she’s not in the morgue is because her husband saved her.’
‘I also don’t think we can ignore the fact that both Fox-Carnell and Tabitha Ashcroft had appeared in court recently,’ said Ramouter. ‘It seems to be more than just a coincidence.’
‘I agree, which leads me on to where we go next. The other link is that both victims suffered instances of harassment at their homes before they were attacked. Fox-Carnell’s parents had a noose painted on their window and shit pushed through their letter box.’
‘How pleasant,’ Eastwood said as she screwed her face.
‘The Ashcrofts also suffered harassment. Slashed tyres and demands for money.’
‘Blackmail?’ asked Stanford.
‘Yes,’ said Henley. ‘Which Graham Ashcroft paid. Fortunately, our blackmailer wasn’t smart. We’ve got a name. Laurence Durant. Husband of Sherri Durant, the woman who Tabitha Ashcroft killed. Stanford and Eastwood, can you pay him a visit?’
